Our First Meeting at Vanderbilt Medical Center

Late yesterday afternoon, Nathan, Elizabeth, Debbie and I drove to Nashville. Nathan had an appointment with Dr. Reid Thompson this morning. Dr. Thompson is Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center. He spent most of his morning with us and did a wonderful job in being both personal and professional. He was warm and witty, along with being an expert in brain tumors. With his hand horizontal under his nose, he explained, “I am a doctor from here up.”

Nathan has a large tumor that is composed of both slow growing and aggressive tissue. The customary terms malignant and benign are not really used for brain tumors. Brain tumors are categorized by Levels (1-4 with 4 being the most aggressive type). Without a biopsy, there is no way to know for sure which level it is. But, we do know that it resides in the part of the brain that is PRE-speech and PRE-motor. In other words, this is the area that prepares what you will say or how you will move. To Nathan, this explained why he has had difficulty in forming his words.

Dr. Thompson feels like he can remove 95% of the tumor. But, to do that as safely as possible, he needs a “Functional MRI.” This is where they do an MRI on Nathan’s head, but while he is in the MRI tube (for 2 hours), they will show him pictures, ask him to speak, get him to move his hands, etc. When your brain does something, that area of the brain receives more blood. So, they can map out exactly what part of the brain does what with this procedure and then integrate that information in the surgery.

We drove back to Knoxville late this afternoon. Nathan will return to his home in Chattanooga tomorrow and is scheduled to go back to Vanderbilt next Wed for the functional MRI and a host of additional tests. Then, the surgery will follow a few days after that. Once the surgery is done, they will have a much better idea of what we are dealing with and Nathan’s future treatment and prognosis.  

Tonight, at Nathan’s request, we are having a nice steak dinner, which I need to go help with.

Thank you again for thinking about Nathan when you each have so much to do. Your love and prayers are truly making a difference. God Bless each one of you!

Buddy Sexton (Nathan's Dad)